randy came out normal at the other end of the day because he saw himself in benson just as benson saw himself in randy. randy saw his own breaking point. knew benson as a quiet controlled man and experienced the depths of the repression erupting and taking everyone out with him. how many violent impulses had randy been swallowing, all those clenched jaw moments, ground teeth and swallowed outrage. thought he could make it his whole life like that? he saw the dark and eerie calm in bensons face that morning. how many times did randy shake his head no at benson before ? no, i can handle it, no dont do anything, no i can live like this. no boy you cant. look, let me show you. they were mirrors bouncing light back and forth ceaselessly until one of them shattered and freed the other.

it’s crazy how we’re supposed to understand explicitly that benson is holding randy up as mirror to look into. how he sees him as competent, intelligent, having the potential for true autonomy, & a path forward in life outside of their town. things he saw in himself but didn’t, or couldn’t, exercise in meaningful ways….and then he turns around & goes, “you gay?”

there's just something so homoerotic about two men in a car

if the passenger 2023 had been directed by david cronenberg randy would’ve been sucking off bensons revolver in the back of that chrysler exactly 38 minutes in.